When the Banning of the Confederate Flag Led Martin Luther King Jr.’s Daughter to Call NASCAR “Family”

March 30, 1967; Louisville, KY, USA; Martin Luther King speaking in Louisville. Mandatory Credit: Charles Fentress/The Courier-Journal-USA TODAY NETWORK

In a massive showcase of intent, NASCAR permanently banned the Confederate flag from its venues in 2020. The move came in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police and Bubba Wallace’s demand that the flag be prohibited from the sport. One person who was left pleased with this was Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr.

As the ban announcement made waves on social media on June 10, 2020, King wrote shortly on X, “#NASCAR, family…” Her message came roughly 30 minutes before the green flag flew for the Cup Series race at Martinsville on a Wednesday night (Instead of Sunday due to the COVID-19 pandemic). King is the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.

She was just five years old when her father was assassinated back in 1968. On January 20, the world celebrates and honors Martin Luther King Jr. with MLK Day. He was one of the most influential faces of the American civil rights movement, and his legacy is reborn every time there is a similar movement in the modern-day.

NASCAR’s decision to ban the Confederate flag was a big step ahead in realizing his dream. With its Southern heritage and roots, the sport is still white-dominated. However, more ethnic balance is making its way into the race tracks by the minute, all thanks to the officials who made the brave call to ban the oppressive symbol.

Why NASCAR decided to ban the Confederate flag

The sport’s goal for a while now has been to bring in more fans from across the globe. Viewership and TV ratings have been dwindling, and they cannot be brought back up with just the support of the core fanbase in the South. This is one of the reasons that led NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag.

There do exist some who believe that the move was a bad one, but the promotion had to side with the interests of the majority or risk tarnishing its entire image. It issued a formal statement explaining its reasons that read, “The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors, and our industry.

“Bringing people together around a love for racing and the community that it creates is what makes our fans and sport special.” NASCAR was one of the few sports active during the pandemic, and it took it upon itself to balance the scales of social justice.

Post Edited By: Srijan Mandal
Bernice King Bubba Wallace Martin Luther King Jr.

About the author

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Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 3000 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

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